NCTIES 2013 Thoughts & Ponderings

I don't know about you, but I love to learn. I am thankful for my PLN because the people that I follow are amazing. But I also love to go to conferences to learn even more. This month I had the opportunity to attend NCTIES Conference in Raleigh. The conference is a huge event held annually in our state and this year there were over 1400 people attending. Although the sessions were packed, information was flowing and I found out about some pretty cool things and connected to some amazing people to add to my PLN. I thought I would try to process some of that learning by blogging about it.


The main themes for this year's conference included gaming, iPads, apps, and common core. Since we are in the midst of an iPad pilot in our district and of course implementing common core curriculum, I chose sessions related to those specifically. One huge take away for me was that we need to be giving the students the tools that will direct their minds. To do this effectively, we need to dissect the curriculum...what is it we want the students to learn. Then focus on integration while incorporating real world situations and problems. As educators, we have to learn to surrender the control. So what are some tools that we can give our students? Here are two of  my new favorites.

1. Chirbit
I am sure that  any of you with mobile devices in your classrooms have been using QR codes instructionally. Well imagine how cool it would be to
scan the QR code and receive audio. Chirbit is an online program that allows just that. Did I mention it is free? It is very user friendly allowing you to record, upload, and share audio files. From the website, you can use a computer mic or webcam to record. You also have the option to type in text that will then be converted. You can also use the iPad, iPod, iPhone to post chirbits. Simply use the Voice Memo app on the device and email it to chirbit. But first, be sure that you set up your chirbit account to recognize the email address associated with the device. Chirbit audio is limited to 5 minutes.

Classroom uses: Class announcements, student instructions, student digital storytelling (remember time limit), a daily exit ticket, student project publishing, podcasts, and more. Chirbit allows you to share via email, RSS feed, Twitter, or by embedding on your blog. And don't forget, it automatically generates a QR code as well. The voice clips are housed on the website under your account. Check it and tell me what you think.

2. Thinglink
Thinglink is another free site that believes that every image tells a story. The site allows you to make your images come alive with music, video, text, images, and more. Basically, you upload you image and then tag it with the various media. Once complete, it allows users to touch your image and learn more. Click here for an example.

Classroom examples: Make history come to life by tagging photos with information and video content to help students understand what is going on in the photo. Great uses for some of the images available with Discovery Education. Help students put works of art into context by tagging famous pieces with artist background, social context, etc. Science diagrams would be another great image to tag to help students truly understand the scientific principles.